SPOOKY SENTINELS
Arrayed in a semicircle, Manfred Kielnhofer’s ghostly “time guardians” seem to have abandoned themselves to infinite sadness. What do the life-sized polyester figures represent? Are they bereaved women, meditating monks or nuns or premonitory spirits sent to warn us of impending dangers? Are they supposed to inspire awe, compassion or fear? The artist refuses to tell us why he created them and if we dare to peer inside their cloaks we discover only black emptiness.
The garments with their many folds are vaguely reminiscent of those sculpted by Rodin. Although the first ones Kielnhofer molded were gray and drab, many of the newer generation display bright colors and cheerful patterns. The artist now plans to equip some of them with interior lighting. To emphasize their timelessness he photographs them in front of both ancient castles and modern high-rises, usually at night.
Manfred Kielnhofer, 41, has been operating the gallery “Art Park” in Linz, Austria, since 2005. He is an abstract painter who used a naked female body as a “canvas” for one of his best works. Under his guidance 1,500 eager youngsters produced the largest children’s painting in the world (3,300 m²), which was displayed at many different places in Austria. Another of his gigantic masterpieces (40,000 m²) was composed of sunflowers and other herbs which had been planted in the middle of a field of grain near the city of Enns. It could be best viewed from the sky, but unfortunately the pilot Kielnhofer hired decided to fly off on vacation before most of its “pixels” had blossomed and the farmer had to harvest the creation before he returned.
Stephen Sokoloff

These Timeguards are the first in a series of works based upon the theme of the 'time guardian.' Kielnhofer has gone on to produce these pieces in bright and cheerful colours contradictory to their sombre forms, an unexpected juxtaposition. The series on display at the Cass Sculpture Foundation is part of his original treatment of this imagery, in forms and colours meant to evoke a mystical feeling.
These forms are meant to resemble ancient creatures from another realm, who, in ancient civilisations could have been credited with disappearances, damnations and behavioral changes. Their eerie presence certainly recalls the undesirable influence these forms might have represented.
The shrouded forms pay hommage to the works of Auguste Rodin, through their concern with character and emotion. The eerie nature of these FIGURES derives from their vacant forms, they are at once deeply emotive and disconcerting.
Manfred Kielnhofer was born in Haslach an der Mühl, Austria.He currently lives and works in Linz, Austria where he opened the gallery 'Art Park' in 2005. Kielnhofer is self-taught and his work spans the mediums of painting, film, photography, installation, performance and sculpture.
Kielnhofer's work is predominantly concerned with the human figure, and its various forms and movements. The figure is an integral part of his work, and he often uses the human form as a tool, either in place of a canvas, or in a collaboration to produce large-scale installations or performances.
Kielnhofer has exhibited widely throughout Austria and his work has recently been featured in exhibitions in New York and Miami. Kielnhofer's Timeguards represent the first of his works to be exhibited in the UK.
Text: Cass Sculpture Foundation www.sculpture.org.uk/artists/ManfredKielnhofer